Natalie Cole was just hitting her stride with her 1976 Album Natalie.Every song with Mr.Melody,Heaven Is With You,Sophisticated Lady(She's A Different Lady),No Plans For The Future,Can We Get Together Again?,Keep Smiling,Good Morning Heartache,Not Like Mine,Touch Me,and Hard To Get Along matters.She is a Unique Recording Artist despite new comparisons to Diana Ross,Chaka Khan,Ella Fitzgerald,and Nancy Wilson as well as the continued comparisons to her father the late Nat King Cole and Aretha Franklin.

This second lp from Natalie Cole (Natalie-1976)was a birthday gift from my sister.She was really into the lp and i soon discovered why.The hits"Sophistocated Lady" and "Mr.Melody" were all over the radio.Our radio station went further by pumping in on the playlist "Touch Me"(a serious R&B ballad of the day),her covering Billie Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache",The gospel fiery of "Keep Smiling" and the lucious hand crafted(for Natalie) ballads,"Heaven Is With You" and "No Plans For The Future".The lp had it going on and it was truly a birthday gift to cherish

The first time I saw this album was at the public library in 1976. I actually borrowed it because I didn't know that Natalie had recorded an album after "Inseparable." When I brought it home, laid it on the turntable and heard that little music box opening from "Mr. Melody," I was in for more of a surprise than I had anticipated. This album, her second consecutive Gold album, had me smitten with its tender lyrics, awesome arrangements, great production and impeccable vocal delivery. The songs that really did it for me were the singles, "Mr. Melody" with its great scatting and "Sophisticated Lady" with its punchy horns as well as "No Plans for the Future" with its perfectly interpreted heartache, "Can We Get Together Again," a "This Will Be" sound-alike and of course, a RE-reading of Billy Holiday's mezmerizing and heartwrenching, "Good Morning Heartache." This album would further cement what would come over the following 4 years in the form of 2 Platinum and 2 more Gold records.
If you are a fan of that Old School/Gospel-ish R&B of the mid to late 70's a la Aretha, you will not be disappointed with any of Cole's works of this era when music was music and Soul singers could really, really SANG. This album, her second, is a treasure.

Many singers come and go but some are for a lifetime...a singer comes of age and this was the Masterpiece that showed what the legend of Natalie Cole was to come...a stunning collection of incredible performances, "Natalie" is a showcase of what this great singer is all about...from the incredible vocal on "Mr. Melody", it is clear that a major talent had arrived...don't miss this collection of stellar performances if you love great singing as this is what it is all about!!!! Bravo Natalie...you are the greatest!!!

Natalie Cole's 1976 follow up to her Grammy Award winning debut 'Inseparable' continues where the diva left off. Still being compared to Aretha, and even called the NEW Queeen Of Soul by some, Natalie belts, shouts, and wails her head off on this CD. 'Natalie' features a more varied songlist, and is loaded with classics like 'Mr.Melody', 'Sophisticated Lady', 'Good Morning Heartache', 'Hard To Get Along', and other quality album cuts. For some odd reason, 'Natalie' (as well as most of her popular Capitol albums) is out of print, and quite expensive. If you also own Natalie's 'Inseparable'(1975), combine it with 'Natalie' to make a stunning 2 on 1 CD, which should've been done by Capitol MANY years ago. If you happen to see 'Natalie' in a used CD shop, SNATCH IT A.S.A.P....you'll be the envy of other fans!
Peace, SD
(of 'Chaka's World')